GATE Biomedical Engineering Electrical Circuits Syllabus

Electrical Circuits syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Electrical Circuits in GATE Biomedical Engineering, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Voltage and Current Sources

   2 topics

   • Types of Sources
     • Independent Sources
     • Dependent Sources
     • Ideal Sources
     • Practical Sources
   • V-I Relationships
     • Resistor
     • Inductor
     • Capacitor
2. 2

   Transient Analysis of RLC Circuits

   1 topic

   • DC Excitation
3. 3

   Circuit Analysis Theorems

   6 topics

   • Kirchoff’s Laws
   • Superposition Theorem
   • Thevenin Theorem
   • Norton Theorem
   • Maximum Power Transfer Theorem
   • Reciprocity Theorem
4. 4

   AC Circuits Analysis

   5 topics

   • Peak, Average, and RMS Values
   • Apparent, Active, and Reactive Powers
   • Phasor Analysis
   • Impedance and Admittance
   • Series and Parallel Resonance
5. 5

   Filters and Bode Plot

   2 topics

   • Realization of Basic Filters with R, L, and C Elements
   • Bode Plot

Electrical Circuits flashcards for GATE Biomedical Engineering

20 of 49 cards from the Electrical Circuits deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What are the two broad categories into which electrical sources are classified?

   Sources are classified as (1) Voltage sources and (2) Current sources. Each can be further classified as independent or dependent, and as ideal or practical.

2. What is an independent source?

   An independent source is one whose output voltage or current is a fixed value (or a fixed function of time) that does not depend on any other voltage or current elsewhere in the circuit.

3. What is a dependent (controlled) source?

   A dependent source is one whose value is controlled by a voltage or current somewhere else in the circuit. It is represented by a diamond symbol, unlike the circular symbol of an independent source.

4. List the four types of dependent sources.

   (1) Voltage-Controlled Voltage Source (VCVS), (2) Voltage-Controlled Current Source (VCCS), (3) Current-Controlled Voltage Source (CCVS), and (4) Current-Controlled Current Source (CCCS).

5. For a VCCS, what is the controlling relation and what are the units of the proportionality constant?

   For a VCCS, $i = g\,v_{x}$, where $g$ is the transconductance with units of siemens ($\text{S}$ or $\Omega^{-1}$).

6. For a CCVS, what is the controlling relation and what are the units of the proportionality constant?

   For a CCVS, $v = r\,i_{x}$, where $r$ is the transresistance with units of ohms ($\Omega$).

7. What is an ideal voltage source?

   An ideal voltage source maintains a constant terminal voltage regardless of the current drawn from it. It has zero internal resistance ($R_{s} = 0$).

8. What is an ideal current source?

   An ideal current source delivers a constant current regardless of the voltage across its terminals. It has infinite internal resistance ($R_{s} = \infty$).

9. How does a practical voltage source differ from an ideal one, and how is it modeled?

   A practical voltage source has a small non-zero internal series resistance $R_{s}$. Its terminal voltage drops as load current increases: $V_{L} = V_{s} - I_{L}R_{s}$. It is modeled as an ideal voltage source in series with $R_{s}$.

10. How is a practical current source modeled and how does its output behave?

    A practical current source is modeled as an ideal current source in parallel with a finite resistance $R_{s}$. Some current is lost through $R_{s}$, so the delivered load current decreases as load voltage increases: $I_{L} = I_{s} - \frac{V_{L}}{R_{s}}$.

11. What does the V-I characteristic of an ideal voltage source look like?

    It is a horizontal line: the voltage $V$ is constant for all values of current $I$ (the curve is parallel to the current axis).

12. What does the V-I characteristic of an ideal current source look like?

    It is a vertical line: the current $I$ is constant for all values of voltage $V$ (the curve is parallel to the voltage axis).

13. What is the V-I relationship (Ohm's law) for a resistor?

    $v = i\,R$, where the voltage across a resistor is directly proportional to the current through it. The proportionality constant $R$ is the resistance in ohms.

14. What is the V-I relationship for an inductor?

    $$v_{L} = L\frac{di}{dt}$$ The voltage across an inductor is proportional to the rate of change of current through it.

15. What is the V-I relationship for a capacitor?

    $$i_{C} = C\frac{dv}{dt}$$ The current through a capacitor is proportional to the rate of change of voltage across it.

16. What is the energy stored in an inductor carrying current $I$?

    $$W = \frac{1}{2}L I^{2}$$ measured in joules.

17. What is the energy stored in a capacitor charged to voltage $V$?

    $$W = \frac{1}{2}C V^{2}$$ measured in joules.

18. Under steady-state DC excitation, how do an inductor and a capacitor behave?

    Under DC steady state, an inductor behaves as a short circuit (since $\frac{di}{dt}=0 \Rightarrow v_{L}=0$), and a capacitor behaves as an open circuit (since $\frac{dv}{dt}=0 \Rightarrow i_{C}=0$).

19. Which circuit variable cannot change instantaneously in an inductor, and which in a capacitor?

    The current through an inductor cannot change instantaneously, and the voltage across a capacitor cannot change instantaneously.

20. What is the equivalent resistance of resistors in series and in parallel?

    Series: $R_{eq} = R_{1} + R_{2} + \cdots + R_{n}$. Parallel: $\frac{1}{R_{eq}} = \frac{1}{R_{1}} + \frac{1}{R_{2}} + \cdots + \frac{1}{R_{n}}$.

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